Cabinet construction

ABSTRACT

A cabinet construction having improved means for closing the end of a foaming-in-place space extending between an outer cabinet panel and an inner liner panel. The edges of the panels are slip fitted together to close the space and tape is provided overlying the interfitted portions to prevent expansion of the foaming insulation to between the slip fitted portions thereby effectively preventing locking together of these panel portions by injected foam material. Thus, relative movement between the cabinet and liner panels is permitted to prevent development of excessive tensile stresses resulting from variations in the temperature conditions to which the cabinet is subjected.

United States Patent Tillman May 13, 1975 CABINET CONSTRUCTION PrimaryE.\'aminerPaul R. Gilliam [75] Inventor. Harry L. Tillman, Evansville,Ind. Assistant Examiner carl F Pietruszka Assigneei Whirlpool p n,Benton Attorney, Agent, or FirmHofgren, Wegner, Allen,

Harbor, Mich. Stellman & McCord [22] Filed: Sept. 7, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT[21] Appl. No.: 395,634

A cabinet construction having 1mproved means for closing the end of afoaming-in-place space extending U-S- Cl- F between an outer cabinetpanel and an inner liner lnt. paneL The edges of the panels are fittedtogether Field of Search 312/214; 52/309; /9 F to close the space andtape is provided overlying the interfitted portions to prevent expansionof the foam- References Cited ing insulation to between the slip fittedportions UNITED STATES PATENTS thereby effectively preventing lockingtogether of 3,152,199 10/1964 Roberts 312 214 ux these Panel Portions byinjected foam material Thu$- 3,243,855 4/1966 Houvener et a]. 312 214 xrelative movement between the Cabinet and liner P 3,278,065 10/1966Cyrus 312/214 els is permitted to prevent development of excessive3,294, 62 12/ 66 Kesling 12/21 tensile stresses resulting fromvariations in the temper- 361 6/1970 Franck 220/9 F ature conditions towhich the cabinet is subjected. 3,632,0l2 l/l972 Kitson 220/9 F3,684,342 8/1972 Jansen 312 214 9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENIED RAYI 3 975 CABINET CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of theInvention This invention relates to cabinet constructions and inparticular to cabinet constructions having foamed-inplace insulation.

2, Description of the Prior Art In U.S. Letters Pat. issued to R. K.Hupfer, No. 3,512,323, owned by the assignee hereof, an insulated wallstructure is disclosed having a fiberglass buffer disposed between thetrim and the foamed-in-place insulation. In this structure, the linerand cabinet walls are rigidly secured together so that no relativemovement therebetween occurs to be accommodated by the fiberglassbuffer. C

In U.S. Letters Pat No. 3,294,462 issued to K. K. Kesling; US. Pat. No.3,174,642 of Loewenthal et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,302,820 of Lander et al;U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,738 of Kesling; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,342 ofJansen, different types of foam stop elements are utilized for limitingthe expansion of the foam during the foaming-in-place operation.

In the Loewenthal et al cabinet construction. a sealing strip isdisposed outwardly of the engagement of the liner and cabinet clipportion so that stresses may be transmitted between the liner andcabinet as a result of temperature variation. In Kesling U.S. Pat. No.3,294,362, the liner is provided with an offset end portion having adistal end extending closely adjacent the confronting end portion of thecabinet with a compressible element disposed therebetween. In KeslingU.S. Pat. No. 3,370,738, a clip is provided for holding the two parallelend portions of the cabinet and liner with the compressible elementretained therebetween. In Jansen, the foam insulation engages the turnedend of the liner and, thus, the liner would tend to be cracked by acabinet expansion movement.

In Houvener et al U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,243,855, a cold space door isshown to be provided with a sheet of flexible insulation abutting adoorframe portion and underlying the end of the inner shell. In thepatent of W. P. Gobeille U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,657, a gasket is providedsurrounding the inturned end of a breaker strip received in a U-shapedflange defined by the distal end of the refrigerator cabinet wall.Adhesive tape is applied between the liner wall and the breaker strip ata point remotely from the gasket.

In U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,456,833 of R. T. Cornelius, a pair of flangesare taped together with the foamed plastic extending about the inturnedflanges to lock them permanently together in forming a refrigeratorcabinet. The tape is pressure sensitive and the foamed plastic actsthrough the tape on the flanges to hold them in abutting relation astaught by the patentee.

The present invention comprehends an improved cabinet constructionutilizing a resilient tape secured to an inturned flange portion of oneof the cabinet walls and overlying a turned end portion of the oppositecabinet wall to prevent the foam insulation from passing between theslip fitted wall portions during the foaming in-place process andthereby preventing locking together of the wall portions upon subsequentsetting of the foam insulation. The resultant cabinet construction,wherein the slip fitted wall portions are free to move relative to eachother as a result of the prevention of the locking together thereof,provides an improved break-resistant construction adapted for use wheresubstantial temperature differences occur.

More specifically, the invention comprehends the provision of animproved cabinet construction including a first wall, a second wallspaced from the first wall to define an expansion space therebetweenprovided with rigid foamed-in-place insulation, a U-shaped flange on oneof the walls extending and opening toward the other wall at the end ofthe space, the inner leg of the flange having a distal edge spaced fromthe other wall, a turned end portion of the other of the walls slipfitted between the legs of the flange, and a flexible tape in the firstspace facially engaging the inner surface of the inner leg and the endportion of the other of the walls and sealing the end of the expansionspace against expansion of the insulation between the slip fitted endportion and flange legs during foamingin-place thereof.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first wall comprises an inner linerand the second wall comprises an outer cabinet on which the U-shapedflange is provided. The tape is secured to the U-shaped flange byadhesive means and extends in overlying relationship to the liner turnedend portion flange for preventing the expansion of the foam between theflanges. The tape is arranged to wipe the liner as the liner isinstalled in the cabinet during the assembly operation to provide thedesired lock prevention functioning.

Thus, the present invention comprehends an improved cabinet constructionwhich is extremely simple and economical while yet providing the highlydesirable advantages discussed above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Other features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator cabinet constructionembodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a section of thecabinet wall construction embodying the invention;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken substantially along theline 3-3 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of the flexible tapeutilized in the cabinet construction.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the exemplary embodiment ofthe invention as disclosed in the drawing, a cabinet constructiongenerally designated 10 is shown to comprise a first wall 11 defining aninner liner which illustratively may be formed of synthetic plastic, anda second wall 12 defining an outer cabinet wall which illustratively maybe formed of metal. Liner 11 and cabinet 12 are spaced apart to definean insulating space 13 therebetween in which is provided a body offoamed-in-place plastic insulation 14. Plastic insulation 14 adheres tothe internal surfaces of the walls 11 and 12 to form a rigid, thin,highly insulative cabinet wall construction. In the illustratedembodiment, the cabinet construction is utilized in forming the cabinetof a refrigeration apparatus generally designated 15, it being obviousto those skilled in the art that the cabinet construction hereof may beutilized in any suitable apparatus.

Cabinet construction defines refrigerating chambers 16 and 17selectively closed by front doors 18 and 19, respectively.

The front of the cabinet construction defining the openings 16 and 17,as illustrated in FIG. 2, is formed by inturned cooperating portions ofthe liner 11 and cabinet wall 12. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2,cabinet 12 includes a U-shaped flange generally designated 20 whichextends and opens toward liner wall 1 l at the front distal end of space13. The outer leg 21 of flange 20 is returned to define a doublethickness wall and the inner leg 22 is spaced inwardly from leg 21.Liner 11 includes a turned end portion 23 which is slip fitted betweenlegs 21 and 22 to cooperate with flange 20 in closing the front end ofspace 13 while yet permitting some relative movement between the wallportions 20 and 23.

It has been found that in the normal operation of refrigerationapparatus, such as refrigerator 10, a temperature differential betweenthe ambient atmosphere externally of the refrigerator and therefrigerated air within the refrigerator compartments producessubstantial tensile stresses in the cabinet construction as the internalplastic liner wall contracts because of the relatively low temperaturethereby tending to move away from the cabinet wall. Where the joint atthe front of the cabinet is rigid, these substantial tensile forces tendto break the plastic.

In the present construction, the slip fit between liner wall portion 23and the U-shaped flange 20 permits relative movement therebetweentransversely of the wall while yet effectively closing the front of theinsulated space 13. However, a problem arises in that the foaming of theinsulation material may cause a portion thereof to be. forced outwardlybetween the wall portions 23 and 20 so that upon setting of theinsulation the wall portions 23 and 20 are locked together preventingthe desirable transverse movement. One attempt to solve this vexatiousproblem has been to provide a release film on the confronting surfaces.Such a film, however, has not been found to be fully satisfactory inpreventing the locking action.

The present invention comprehends a positive prevention of such lockingof the wall portions 23 and 20 by means of a flexible tape generallydesignated 24 which is installed across the outer end of space 13 topositively prevent extrusion of the foaming plastic between the slipfitted wall portions 23 and 20 during the foaming process. As best seenin FIGS. 2-4, tape 24 comprises a thin flexible tape which,illustratively, may be formed of paper or synthetic plastic, such aspolyethylene. One surface portion 25 of the tape may be provided with anadhesive 26 for holding the tape to the inner surface 27 of leg 22during the assembly of the cabinet construction. With the tape thusretained, the distal portion 28 thereof wipes against the inner surface29 of the liner 11 as the liner is installed in association with thecabinet wall 12. This wiping action closes the end of space 13 againstflow of foaming plastic outwardly from the space 13 to between the slipfitted wall portions 23 and 20.

Illustratively, the tape has a width somewhat greater than the spacingbetween walls 11 and 12 and in the illustrated embodiment, where thecabinet construction 10 comprises a conventional insulated wallconstruction, the tape may have a width of approximately 2 inches withthe adhesive backing 26 on approximately one-half of one surfacethereof.

The liquid foam material is suitably inserted into space 13 whereuponthe foaming thereof causes the tape to be urged against the wall surface29 to protect the slip fitted portions from the locking action discussedabove. As the tape is retained in place by the adhesive 26, theprovision of the tape does not interfere with the normal simpleinstallation of the liner relative to the cabinet wall therebymaintaining facilitated assembly of the cabinet construction. Thefoaming insulation itself functions to assure a tight seal therebyresulting in an improved lock-free assembly.

The foregoing disclosure of specific embodiments is illustrative of thebroad inventive concepts comprehended by the invention.

Having described the invention, the embodiments of the invention inwhich an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined asfollows:

1. A cabinet construction comprising: a first wall; a second wall spacedfrom said first wall to define an expansion space therebetween providedwith foamed-inplace insulation; a U-shaped flange on one of said wallsextending and opening toward the other wall at an end of said space,said U-shaped flange having an inner leg defining an inner surfaceadjacent said expansion space and having a distal edge spaced from saidother wall; a turned end portion on the other of said walls slip fittedbetween the legs of said flange; and a flexible tape in said expansionspace having a first portion facially engaging said inner surface ofsaid inner leg and a second portion facially engaging said turned endportion of the other of said walls and sealing said end of saidexpansion space against expansion of the insulation between said slipfitted turned end portion and flange legs during foaming-in-placethereof, one of said tape portions being adhesively secured to itsengaged wall and the other of said tape portions being freely faciallyslidable relative to its engaged wall.

2. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said first wall comprisesan inner liner, said second wall comprises an outer cabinet, and saidU-shaped flange is formed on said second wall.

3. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said flexible tapeextends substantially fully across said expansion space between saidwalls.

4. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape is secured tosaid inner leg of the U-shaped flange.

5. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape includes anedge portion extending inwardly from said turned end portion along saidother wall.

6. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape is formed ofpaper.

7. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape is formed ofsynthetic plastic.

8. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape is formed ofpolyethylene.

9. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein the U-shaped flangedefines a returned double wall outer leg.

1. A cabinet construction comprising: a first wall; a second wall spacedfrom said first wall to define an expansion space therebetween providedwith foamed-in-place insulation; a U-shaped flange on one of said wallsextending and opening toward the other wall at an end of said space,said U-shaped flange having an inner leg defining an inner surfaceadjacent said expansion space and having a distal edge spaced from saidother wall; a turned end portion on the other of said walls slip fittedbetween the legs of said flange; and a flexible tape in said expansionspace having a first portion facially engaging said inner surface ofsaid inner leg and a second portion facially engaging said turned endportion of the other of said walls and sealing said end of saidexpansion space against expansion of the insulation between said slipfitted turned end portion and flange legs during foaming-in-placethereof, one of said tape portions being adhesively secured to itsengaged wall and the other of said tape portions being freely faciallyslidable relative to its engaged wall.
 2. The cabinet construction ofclaim 1 wherein said first wall comprises an inner liner, said secondwall comprises an outer cabinet, and said U-shaped flange is formed onsaid second wall.
 3. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein saidflexible tape extends substantially fully across said expansion spacebetween said walls.
 4. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein saidtape is secured to said inner leg of the U-shaped flange.
 5. The cabinetconstruction of claim 1 wherein said tape includes an edge portionextending inwardly from said turned end portion along said other wall.6. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape is formed ofpaper.
 7. The cabinet construction of claim 1 wherein said tape isformed of synthetic plastic.
 8. The cabinet construction of claim 1wherein said tape is formed of polyethylene.
 9. The cabinet constructionof claim 1 wherein the U-shaped flange defines a returned double wallouter leg.